Automatic playing attachment for musical instruments.



No. 748,126. PATENTED DEC. 29, 1903. P. WELIN. AUTOMATIC PLAYING ATTACHMENT FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3' 1902. N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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PATENTED DEC. 29, 1903.

P. WELIN.

AUTOMATIG PLAYING ATTACHMENT FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 3, 1902.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

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P. WELIN. AUTOMATIC PLAYING ATTACHMENT FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 3, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

min/@5565 No. 748,126. Patented December 29, 1903.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER WELIN, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THEODORE P. BROWN, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

'AUTOMATIC PLAYING ATTACHMENT FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 748,126, dated December 29, 1903.

Application filed May 3,1902. Serial No. 105,766. (No model.)

To LLZZ whom it may concern: and Fig. at is a transverse sectional view of Be it known that I, PETER WELIN, a citizen the same.

of the United States, residing at Worcester, In that class of automatic playing attachin the county of Worcester and State of Masments towhich this invention relates the keysachusetts, have invented a new and useful levers are controlled by connections from 55 Automatic Playing Attachment for Musical main pneumatics, each main pneumatic oe- Instruments,of which the followingis a speciing connected to control one key-lever. In fication. the construction of this class of instruments,

This invention relates to that class of autoso far as I am familiar with the same, the

i0 matic playing attachments which are conmain pneumatics heretofore have all been 60 trolled by perforated paper and are employed permanentlysecured to their supports, so that for playing pianos, organs, or similar keyed in orderto repairany one of the pneumaticsit instruments. has been necessary to remove the entire bank The especial object of my present invenof main pneumatics from the casing of the tion is to provide a pneumatically-controlled machine, and even when the entire bank of 65 automatic playing attachment for musical main pneumatics has been removed from the instruments, in which each main pneumatic casing of the machine for the purpose of reis fastened in place by independent detachpair it is a matter of considerable difficulty, able fastenings, so that any one of the main and in some casessubstantiallyimpossible, to

pneumatics may be removed to be repaired remove any of the main pneumatics from 70 or to allow the pneumaticto be replaced by their supports Without disfiguring and suba new one without otherwise dismantling or stantially destroying the construction. taking the instrument to pieces. The especial object of my present invention Further objects of this invention are to prois to improve this class of instruments by prowide a compact and efficient construction for viding a construction in which each of the 75 mounting the fall-board,which permitsaccess main pneumatics is detachably secured in to the winding-rolls, and to provide an adplace, so that it can be removed for repairs justable connection between the bellows and and again replaced without disturbing any the action of the instrument, so that the belof the other operating connections, or certain lows can be secured in fixed place in the ones of the more frequently used main pneu- 80 frame of the apparatus and the action set to matics may be replaced as frequently as the different heights to cooperate with different same wear out. To accomplish this object, heights of keyboards. an automatic playing attachment for musical To these ends this invention consists of the instruments constructed according to my inautomatic playing attachment for musical invention comprises the combination of a bank 85 struments and of the combinations of parts of independent pneumatics, each one ofwhich therein, as hereinafter described, and more is secured in place by detachable fasteners, particularly pointed out in the claims at the so that it can be taken out without disturbend of this specification. ing the rest of the pneumatics.

In the accompanying three sheets of draw- In practice I preferably clamp each of the 90 ings, Figure l is a transverse sectional view main pneumatics in place upon a base-board of sufficient parts of an automatic playing atby means of two clamping-rods, and the movtachment for musical instruments to illusable part of each of the main pneumatics is trate the application of my invention therepreferably provided with a hook for connectto. Fig. 2is a partial front view of the same, ing the same with the operating-rod which 5 the paper-winding mechanism and primary leads to the key-lever.

- pneumatics'being removed. Fig. 3 is an en- In order to allow access to the windinglarged perspective View of one of the removrolls, the front of the casing of instruments able main pneumatics and parts connected constructed according to this invention have therewith for operating one of the key-levers, heretofore been provided with different forms roe of openings or doors. For this purpose I preferably provide an automatic playing attachment constructed according to my invention with a fall-board made in sections, which are hinged together. At its ends the fall-board is supported in curved ways, so that when the fall-board is moved down to open the instrument the sections of the fallboard may swing with respect to each other to occupy as little room as possible.

The bellows of an automatic playing attachment constructed according to my inven-* tion preferably occupy a fixed position, and in order to permit the action to be raised and lowered to adapt the same to different heights of keyboards I preferably provide an adjustable connection between the bellows-casing and the pipes or passages which connect thereto.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a detail description of an automatic playing attachment for musical instruments constructed according to my invention, A designates the casing or frame which contains the paper-winding devices. Extending into the casing A is a tracker-board B, and cooperating with the tracker-board B are the paper-winding rolls 0 and D, which cooperate to draw a strip of perforated paper over the tracker-board in the ordinary manner. The front of the casing A, as herein illustrated, is closed by a fall-board formed by two sections 11 and 12, connected together by hinges 13. The fall-board is guided at its ends in curved ways 10, which may be formed in the casing A or in the guide-plates secured thereto. By means of this construction when the fall-board is lowered to open the front of the casing A the sections 11 and 12 may swing with respect to each other as indicated by dotted lines, so that an exceedingly compact arrangement is provided. Extending down from the tracker-board B are the pipes E, which connect to primary pneumatics operating the valves F. Controlled by the valves F are pipes G, which connect to passages leading to the valve-boxes of the main pneumatics.

The construction of a main pneumatic and the means for detachably securing the same in place are most clearly illustrated in the third sheet of drawings. As shown in Fig. 3, the support for each pneumatic is formed by pieces 14 and 15. Cut into the face of the piece 15 are grooves or saw-cuts 16. When the pieces 14 and 15 are glued together, the saw-cuts 16 form the holes for receiving the fastening-rods 17, which fastening-rods 17 may be threaded or otherwise secured in the base-board H, as shown in Fig. 1. Threaded onto each of the fastening-rods 17 is asecuring-nut 18. In each of the supports formed by the pieces 14 and 15 is a valve-operating pneumatic 19, operating a swinging valve 20 to connect the main pneumatic 21 with the bellows or with the external air. The movable section of each of the main pneumatics 21 is provided with a hook-piece 22 for detachably receiving the operating-rod 23. The operating-rods 23 are connected at their opposite ends to the bell-crank key-levers I.

As shown in Fig. 1, J designates the bellows box or; casing, and adjustably clamped onto the bellows-box J is a piece K, containing passages leading to an exhaust-chamber M. The main exhaust-chamber H is connected by a pipe N to an exhaust-chamber located above the primary pneumatics.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 2, a double bellows-box is employed, and the piece K is provided with two passages controlled by a slide-valve L. By means of this construction one of the bellows and one half of the bellows-box may be used for maintaining a different pressure from the other bellows and the other half of the bellows-box, and the valve L may be used to modulate or change the pressure, as desired. It is to be understood, however, that this construction for varying the pressure under which the instrument may be operated forms no part of my invention, and is not herein claimed.

The clamping mechanism for securing an adjustable connection between the bellows box J and the exhaust-passages K may comprise the clamping-rods 2 l,which are arranged in pairs connected by a clamping-strip, which may be fastened by wing-nuts 25, threaded onto the clamping-rods 21. By means of this construction the bellows-box may be located in a fixed position, and the adjustable connection between the bellows-box and the passages leading therefrom will permitthe action to be raised to different elevations to cooperate with different keyboards.

The operation of an automatic playing attachment constructed according to my invention is substantially the same as that of other instruments of a similar class-that is to say, as the paperis drawn over the trackerboard perforations in the paper will admit atmospheric air to the primary pneumatics, thereby operating the primary valves and admitting external air to operate the valveoperating pneumatics, so as to connect the desired main pneumatics to the elbows, which main pneumatics will operate the desired key-levers.

In the actual use of automatic playing attachments of this class it has been found in practice that certain ones of the main pneumatics are used much more frequently than some of the other main pneumatics, and on this account it has been found that the frequently-used main pneumatics in some cases wear out before the rest of the instrument is worn to any noticeable degree.

By the use of my construction I have provided a form of self-playing attachment which may be readily repaired, and worn pneumatics may be taken out and replaced or repaired without afiecting the other parts of the action, and this i regard as an especially important-feature of my construction, as I am thus enabled to prolong the life of a self-playing attachment of this kind and am much more readily enabled to keep the same in good condition than has been possible with other devices heretofore employed.

I am aware that numerous changes may be madein practicing myinvention by those who are skilled in the art Without departing from the scope thereof as expressed in the claims. I do not wish, therefore, to be limited to the construction I have herein shown and described; but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination in an automatic musical instrument of a main pneumatic and a controlling-pneumatic therefor, said parts being combined in an element detachably secured in place so that the same may be removed without otherwise dismantling the construction.

2. The combination in an automatic musical instrument of a main pneumatic, a valvebox and a controlling-pneumatic for the main pneumatic, said parts being combined in an element detachably secured in place so that the same may be removed without otherwise dismantling the construction.

3. In an automatic playing attachment for musical instruments, the combination of a base board or support, valve boxes, each formed from two blocks, one of said blocks being provided with channels or saw-cuts, clamping-rods fitting into said saw-cuts to detachably secure each of the valve-boxes in place, and a main pneumatic carried by each of the valve-boxes.

4. In an automatic playing attachment for musical instruments, the combination of a horizontal base plate or support, vertical valve-boxes, each formed by two blocks, one of said blocks being provided with grooves or saw-cuts, clampingrods fitting into the grooves or saw-cuts, nuts threaded onto the rods for detachably clamping each of the valve-boxes onto the base-plate or support, and a vertically-arranged main pneumatic carried by each of the valve-boxes.

5. In an automatic playing attachment for musical instruments, the combination of a key-lever, an operating-rod therefor, a main pneumatic, and a connecting-hook secured on the movable part of the main pneumatic so that the same may be moved laterally out of engagement with the operating-rod.

6. In an automatic playing attachment for musical instruments, the combination of the key-levers, the operating-rods, main pneumatics, means for independently clamping each of the main pneumatics in place so that it may be removed without disturbing the other pneumatics, and a hook mounted on the movable section of each main pneumatic for connecting the same with an operatingrod.

Z. In an automatic musical instrument, the combination of a casing containing paperwinding rolls, a fall-board, end pieces having curved guideways for the fall-board, said fall-board comprising sections hinged together so that the sections may swing with respect to each other when the casing is open.

8. In an automatic musical instrument, the combination of the casing containing paperwinding rolls, a fall-board comprising two pivotally-connected curved sections and end pieces having guideways for the end of the fall-board, said parts being combined so that the fall-board sections are in line with each other when the casing is closed and the lower fall-board swings or curves out of line with the curved guideways when the casing is opened.

9. In an automatic playing attachment for musical instruments, the combination of a bellows-casing, an action, and passages for connecting the bellows-casing therewith, and an adjustable connection between the bellows-casing and its passages arranged so that the bellows-casing may be set to fixed position and the action adjusted to difierent elevations to cooperate with different heights of keyboards.

10. In an automatic playing attachment for musical instruments, the combination of a bellows-casing, an action, and passages for connecting the bellows-casing therewith, and means for adjustably connecting the bellowscasing with said passages, whereby the bellows-casing may be set to fixed position, and the action set to diiferent elevations to 006perate with different heights of keyboards, comprising clamping-rods extending out from the bellows-casing, a clamping-strip connecting each pair of the clamping rods, and wing-nuts threaded onto each of the clamping-rods.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PETER WELIN.

Witnesses:

PHILIP W. SOUTHGATE, JOHN F. URowELL. 

